Bengaluru: Amidst the election hype, 2,000 villages across the state are facing drought and the state government has set up an around the clock control room in Bengaluru to monitor the situation.

According to sources in the state revenue and rural development and panchayat raj department, 26 districts in the state have been hit by drought.

As per the data, 1,070 villages are being serviced by 1,717 water tankers. As many as 941 villages are being supplied with drinking water from private bore wells and 116 fodder banks have been set up across the state to ensure that farmers will not sell their cattle.

According to the authorities, the Chitradurga district is facing severe drought, where a total of 132 villages are depending on water tankers. Chitradurga is followed by Tumakuru (119), Vijayapura (111) and Chikkaballapura (106).

"The state government has directed all the district administrations to create jobs locally using the MNREGA. A 24x7 helpline has been set up at the MS Building in the city (Bengaluru). Every week, a state-level review meeting has been organised to monitor the situation," informed authorities.

Meanwhile, according to sources, the drought situation is expected to become severe this year with experts warning the state government of below the normal monsoon rainfall. "A few experts have informed the authorities that this year, the monsoon is expected to be below normal. It is expected to deteriorate the situation," explained an official from the revenue department.